Cold chain management in the outreach and mobile setting: Case Study

Regulations in some jurisdictions (Victoria, ACT, NSW) currently allow pharmacists to administer vaccinations as part of a mobile or outreach service on behalf of a service provider (hospital, pharmacy, pharmacy depot). While both mobile and outreach vaccination services involve the delivery of off site immunisation clinics away from the traditional pharmacy setting, the terms are not interchangeable. A mobile vaccination service is one that spans several days and involves travelling (usually long distances) and providing immunisation sessions at different sites.
In contrast, an outreach vaccination service is shorter in duration (several hours), and the pharmacist vaccinator returns to the pharmacy setting (service provider) before the end of the day. Inherent in delivering an off site vaccination service are challenges with cold chain management. One challenge is to transport vaccines and continuously maintain cold chain.